Hello darlings! It's Emma here, your resident pink-tutu-loving, time-traveling ballerina, and welcome back to another week of Ballet Tutu History!
This week we’re travelling back to the glorious summer of 1996, a time when the world was still reeling from the wonders of Clueless (I mean, come on, the outfits!) and Titanic (sob!). Can you believe it's been over 25 years?! I can barely remember back that far! Well, perhaps my memory’s a little blurry after hopping around the space-time continuum so much!
Oh, before I get sidetracked with my own adventures (it is fun being able to pop about to all the grandest ballets throughout time!) let's get down to the history of the tutu, the subject closest to my heart (well, apart from pink, of course!).
So, picture this. The year is 1996. We’ve just finished a fab performance of Giselle, a beautiful story of love, loss and…tutus! It's the ultimate story for a ballerina. But let’s rewind back in time to find out where Giselle's tutu actually came from!
Back to the Early Days…
Well, as always, the story of the tutu starts with ballet! The origins go way back to the Italian Renaissance in the 15th century. This is when a dancer called Catherine de Medici – she was an Italian princess who ended up as Queen of France – decided to up the fashion ante. Gone were the floor-length gowns of the past, replaced with a streamlined, easier to dance in design – a ‘skirt with legs!’ Essentially a tutu! The story goes that de Medici had this vision after seeing King Henri II struggling to keep his velvet robes out of the way while dancing (oh, you know how kings are! always looking the part). Catherine, being a real vision of a fashion visionary, decreed the first ever tutu as *fashionable and *practical!
But let's rewind for a bit – back to a time when ballet was actually a man's world! Now this was a sight I never saw in my time travels - guys in tutus, all prance-worthy! Ballet actually emerged as a men’s art form around the 15th and 16th centuries, with their outfits a whole lot less feminine. The costumes tended to be elaborate and elaborate affairs with lots of silk, and lace (some historians believe the actual tutu came from Men's ballet as loose garments needed to be adapted to allow greater movement in dancing). You see, I'm all about accuracy, but tutus – well, that’s just a fabulous detail I always love.
Anyway, de Medici 's visionary tutu continued to evolve – and so did ballet. But if we flash forward about a hundred years, by the early 17th Century (you’ve got your timeline of ballerinas? Well do check this date! I may have my dates wrong. My trusty notebook isn't quite time-travel friendly.) ballet had taken a new turn. It moved to the French courts, and it became even more elaborate and strict. That is until we come across a guy called Jean-Georges Noverre .
The “First" Romantic Tutu?
I was absolutely thrilled when I found this part of ballet history – what a fabulous story to tell on a Tuesday in 1996! Noverre - aka a visionary ballet master – was like a knight in shining (or silk and velvet) armor!
This revolutionist started a trend for “The Romantic Period" in Ballet (again – always that dancing word “Romantic!”) with light-as-a-feather, fairytale inspired dances, featuring barely there tulle. Now, can’t you just imagine these gorgeous delicate dresses – swirling as a dancer floats through the air - It was this that introduced what we’d recognise as the ballet tutu we see today. Well, a short, loose skirt for the 19th century. They definitely looked a world away from de Medici’s first practical creations, with layers of ethereal tulle - truly delicate and beautiful. But remember - this was only half the romantic ballet - so we can imagine that the dresses went very flowy, full length and romantic. This allowed for free movement - especially on those tiny tippy toes they used to love!
A quick time-jump forward. From there, it was only a matter of time until ballerinas were prancing and spinning in all sorts of beautiful creations. (You just know my favourite must have been pink.) Now, as far as tutu design goes, they took loads of different directions, each telling its own special story.
- The Pagnol Tutu: A tutu that was pretty short and poufy and shaped almost like a cone. That one, I had to travel back to The Second Empire Era - the time when ballet began exploring a whole lot more!
- The Bell-shaped Tutu: (Another of my faves!), and with its wider shape, gave ballerinas so much space to dance, I've seen them spin and turn for days in that kind of tutu! (The “la Camargo” was the original of this style and I loved it.) You have Mary Taglioni (1790 – 1884) - (remember that name!) – she helped to make it really popular.
- The Romantic tutu (of course - the quintessential ballet tutu we all know!), with all its long swirling layers, made to twirl, - that’s what I called pure romance.
- The Classical Tutu - or ‘The Pancake Tutu’ – the short, stiff, and wide shape (you *know I always go for a little more shape) – perfect for those grand 19th Century Ballets.
Then we got to the mid-20th Century. I just loved the ballet during that era – you get George Balanchine. The guy is a tutu mastermind, always pushing the boundaries, blending classical ballet with contemporary flair and creating incredible pieces (with some incredible tutus - I'll tell you all about that some other time).
The point is – the tutu kept evolving, morphing, changing* to make it better for ballerinas. And with that came new designs - from flaming (I even saw one that actually had real fire!), feathery and shiny to soft tulle that would *just whisper when the dancers moved. I bet you have seen all those types at some point in time (or perhaps in your time travels!)
Today's tutu design (1996!) has moved beyond these shapes and ideas, which is fantastic because we can all celebrate our love for the tutu in all its wonderful, fabulous forms. And I bet it will be the same even hundreds of years from now! But enough about tutus – (Can you tell I just LOVE them?)… Let’s dive into the 20th August 1996, shall we?
August 20th, 1996!
This day saw all sorts going on in the ballet world and beyond!
- Did you know The Nutcracker was premiered by the New York City Ballet (in this date) under George Balanchine’s *artistic direction? It's the only complete Balanchine *Nutcracker ballet* – I couldn’t wait to see that one! What a production. You see I wasn't just in England. There’s all sorts to see around the world. The Royal Ballet were busy with Cinderella, the New York City Ballet were on a special tour, the Australian Ballet was in a fantastic show of Coppélia. Ballet never sleeps!
I had no end of adventures that day! I even took a little trip back to my old stomping grounds in Derbyshire to see my folks. (Well, it’s quite difficult keeping it a secret for too long). My mother, always the style queen, said, “Emma, that's one gorgeous tutu!” - My mother is so encouraging about this new “career” I've chosen for myself - You know we all know how much my mother likes pink...
The whole Derbyshire countryside felt absolutely amazing - so many beautiful gardens with a bit of vintage English chic. We stopped at the National Stone Centre to see the exhibits and I actually discovered an ancient chalk quarry (no tutu on that day! but I still love it there, so lots of historical stuff). And what was better, I got a great ride on the train and a quick whirl through the Sheffield markets! That Derbyshire trip gave me the most beautiful outfit ideas – but that’s a story for another day.
Speaking of outfit ideas – I’m going shopping! There are so many shops to discover in London, especially for tutus and all sorts of amazing vintage, vintage-inspired, and modern dancewear. Let’s call it a vintage twist on a 20th Century wardrobe.. (Don’t you just love all the sparkle!). And remember my favorite style: pink tulle (that definitely was an addition to the wardrobe, my trip must include a good shopping spree - for all the ballet, tulle and fashionistas in the world.
Oh, and a little tip. Make sure you watch a ballet performance today - it’s never too late for ballet in 1996 (or any year!) It’s just such an elegant and graceful form of art that will always leave you spellbound (and maybe make you wish you could slip on a gorgeous, sparkling tutu!).
Have a fantastic TutuTuesday and don’t forget to check back next week! It’s been so much fun sharing ballet tutu history with you.
Emma xoxo
